Timeless Ardor
by InfernoTides
Summary: Mako and Korra's relationship over a span of fifty years. A tale of romance, heartache and a couple that can't seem to be together but can't stand to be apart.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Fifty years after Harmonic Convergence, an elderly firebender held hands with the now aged Avatar. His hands were weathered and his face lined with wrinkles, but his eyes still held the same passion as they did decades ago.

"Where am I?" Korra asked.

"The Southern Water Tribe." Mako replied.

"Why?"

"You were fighting a corrupt spirit before it injured you. We took you here to recover… you don't remember?" Mako strengthened his grip on her hand, trying to reassure her.

"No." Korra shook her head. "Who are you?"

Mako widened his eyes. He had realized her battle with the spirit not only damaged her physically, but her mind and soul as well. He hid his grief and pain beneath a sad smile.

"Hey, let me tell you a story about a brooding orphan and a hot-blooded girl with a heart of gold."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Together Again

"The couple were fiercely passionate. Just as strong as their love was together, their anger was equally as intense. Finally, the girl decided she had enough and the two parted ways."

After the battle with Vaatu, Korra let the two spirit portals remain open in hopes that spirits and humans can live together in harmony. She took it upon herself to become an ambassador between the two worlds. Mako, on the other hand, remained on the police force where he quickly climbed the ranks and became Chief Beifong's right-hand man.

For the first few years, the spirits and humans formed a mutually beneficial partnership. The spirits taught humans how to look past their worldly possessions and embrace intangibles like inner peace, community and love. Humans introduced technology to the spirits: radio and movers for entertainment and motor vehicles for transportation. But this peace did not last for long, as human greed became inevitable.

"It can't go on like this!" Korra pleaded before President Raiko and his advisors, among them were General Iroh and Chief Beifong. Mako stood beside Beifong, with his hands clasped behind his back. "Varrick has been razing the Spirit World, robbing their resources and destroying their livelihood!"

"I'm sorry, Korra. But as we mentioned before, neither the Republic City Police nor the United Forces have jurisdiction in the Spirit World." Beifong replied curtly.

"Still… this is most unprecedented. If what Avatar Korra says is true, the spirits may interpret Varrick's actions as an attack from all of humanity." Raiko contemplated.

"My forces have led many peacekeeping across the globe, including the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. We're experienced with handling foreign nations." Iroh suggested.

"No. If we come at them armed, they will surely see it as an invasion and retaliate. I can't risk the lives of our citizens, let alone the world." Raiko interrupted. "We don't even know if what Avatar Korra says is true. Chief Beifong, please send your best detective to the Spirit World with the Avatar to investigate."

"Mako. Let me make it clear – this is strictly an investigation. You are not to interfere. The same goes for you, Korra." Beifong said in a stern voice.

"Yes, ma'am." Mako answered.

Korra and Mako left the President's office together. There was an awkward silence. The two haven't spoken to each other in years.

"Soooo…." Korra broke the silence. "You, me, off to the Spirit World. Just like the good ol' times, huh?"

"Look, Korra-"

"Princess Rainbow can take us to the Southern Water Tribe pretty quickly if we leave tomorrow morning."

"Princess Rainbow?" Mako asked as he raised his left eyebrow.

"She's an air bison Ikki let me borrow. Don't let the name fool you, she has quite the temper. Anyway, it's almost sundown. I got to go home and pack. Don't stay up too late, we have a big day tomorrow." Korra waved goodbye and hopped on Naga, who was waiting for her outside.

"Korra…" Mako sighed as he watched her leave, almost longingly.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Korra and Mako arrived at the South Pole by late afternoon.

"Hi Mom!" Korra greeted her mother with a hug. "Where's dad?"

"He had to take care of some things at the Northern Water Tribe for a few days." Senna noticed Mako and put on a playful smile. "Going on a date?"

"No! We're going to Spirit World to investigate Varrick."

"I was just teasing, honey. Be careful."

"I will."

Korra led Mako towards the Spirit Portal, but as they got closer, the snow began to melt and the ice was black as soot. The corrupted area spanned several miles in diameter and grew larger by the minute. Korra's eyes widened in shock when she suddenly made a dash towards a snowfield, Mako quickly followed behind her.

"The snow lily…" Korra whispered as she bent down to graze the wilted flower.

"I didn't think you were the sentimental type." Mako remarked.

"Plants don't grow here, let alone flowers. Katara told me that snow lilies are sister flowers with the fire lily grown in the Fire Nation. But the snow lily is infinitely rarer, many believing them only to be a myth." Her voice was pained; the only flora, the only beauty of nature in the Water Tribe... gone.

"I'm sorry." Mako felt helpless, he wanted to take her in his arms and embrace her, comfort her, let her know everything was going to be alright, but he couldn't. He didn't want to take advantage of the situation and hurt her even further. He had to look away but only saw the darkness enveloping the land around them.

"Are you alright, Avatar Korra?" A concerned voice asked. Korra and Mako spun around. The voice came from a young Water Tribesman. He looked about twenty-one, around the same age as Mako. He was dressed in typical Water Tribe garb and wore his hair in a low ponytail.

"Who are you?" Mako demanded, changing into a fighting stance. Korra blocked Mako with her right arm, seeming to know the stranger.

"My name is Rikan, Guardian of the Southern Spirit Portal."

"What happened here, Rikan?" Korra asked.

"The Spirit World and our world are connected. Any malevolence that corrupts one world seeps into the other through the Spirit Portal. Varrick's extraction team have already entered the Spirit Portal…" Rikan offered his hand to Korra and pulled her up.

"And you didn't stop them?! You're not a very good guardian, are you?_"_ Mako's voice was seething with hostility, he felt inexplicably angry after watching this strange man touch her.

"I was able to stop them last time before they did any serious damage. But this time, he brought these strange… machines, they overpowered me." Rikan quivered in fear.

"So you ran?" Mako snapped.

"Leave him alone, he came here to warn us." Korra came to his defense.

"No, he's right. I was a coward."

"We don't have any time to waste! We have to stop Varrick." Korra clenched her fists in rage.

The three of them arrived at the Spirit Portal; a thick purple miasma oozing from it.

"I will keep a lookout. Please be careful, Avatar Korra." Rikan pleaded.

Korra and Mako walked through the portal. The once colorful and vibrant land teeming with life was now dark and barren. Even without Vaatu's evil tainting the spirits, Varrick's exploits had upset them. Many spirits had fled their homes and gone into hiding, others cut down for interfering. Korra heard a loud crash in the distance and the two decided to head in the direction of the noise.

They hid behind a large rock and stuck their heads out the sides. Half a dozen mecha tanks were harvesting everything in sight. Gigantic ploughs and buzzsaws were uprooting trees, ripping through spirit crystals and destroying homes at an alarming rate. Another mecha tank vacuumed the remains into large crates. Korra stood up, unable to sit idly by and do nothing.

"No. We're only here to investigate." Mako grabbed her wrist, preventing her from attacking.

"What?! Look at this!" Korra angrily pointed towards the mecha tanks. "What good will investigating do if everything's gone by the time we get to Republic City?!"

Mako turned. He noticed a pair of baby chipmunk-squirrels trying to run from the ploughs. Their parents were nowhere in sight, perhaps trapped inside the crates, or worse. The chipmunk-squirrels were trapped between the machines and a steep mountainside. The slightly older one courageously stood in the front, shielding the smaller one. It reminded Mako of himself and his own brother in their childhood. He threw his fist and shot a fire blast at the mecha tank.

"Varrick! Stop!" Korra shouted. "Why are you doing this?!"

"Oh, it's you two." Varrick laughed from within the mecha tank. "These crystals can be used as fuel _and _they're shiny! And this spirit wood, some people would _kill_ for a dinner table made outta this stuff!"

"You… you're ruining their homes for a couple of DINNER TABLES?!" Korra ferociously launched a boulder at Varrick's mecha tank, but he managed to dodge it by zipping backwards.

"Zhu Li, do the thing!" The six mecha tanks interlocked to form a ten foot mechanical humanoid. "Hahaha! Pretty neat, huh?"

Korra and Mako took a few steps back in awe of the giant. Mako narrowed his eyes in determination and unleashed a flurry of blasts, but the metal giant did not seem to take any damage.

"Heat-resistant, my friends!" Korra tried hurling rocks, dousing it with water from a nearby lake and cutting it with air swipes, but nothing seemed to work. Varrick began laughing maniacally, he felt unstoppable. "Oh, I forgot to tell you none of your bending will work on this!"

Mako angrily shot a lightning bolt at the metal giant but the attack was reflected. "Korra!" Mako shouted as threw himself in front of her as a shield.

"Ma… Mako? MAKO!" Korra cried his name in disbelief. He laid there on the ground, unmoving. Korra felt numb, her eyes glowed white as she let herself be consumed by the Avatar State. She trapped the metal colossus in an earth prison. She began her assault of alternating fire streams and ice barrages; the continuous fluctuation in temperatures made the metal weak. She flung an air bomb through the center, disintegrating it.

Korra came to her senses. "Mako! Mako! Please…" She desperately performed first-aid healing with her waterbending. "Please be okay! Don't leave me!"

"Korra…" Mako whispered weakly. Korra hugged him tightly in relief, tears still rolling down her face. He gently wiped her tears away with his hand. "I'm sorry… no matter what I do, I always seem to make you sad…"

Korra took Mako to Katara, who managed to heal his wounds. After his recovery, they returned to Republic City and reported the incident to President Raiko and Chief Beifong. Although she was angry that they had defied her orders, she understood it needed to be done and was willing to overlook it. Due to their swift action, spirits and humans remained to live in peace.

Mako and Korra realized that they still cared for one another deeply, but would always end up hurting each other because of it.


End file.
